He graduated fromPaolaHigh Schooland attended theUniversityofKansaswhere he played trumpet in the marching band.

In 1943 he married his childhood sweetheart, Betty Courter. He was drafted and served in the 734th Railroad Battalion during theBattle of the Bulge.

After the war he worked 39 years for the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Co.

Lester was a lifetime member of theUnitedMethodistChurchand was a tireless advocate for the environment and social change. He was a member of the Sierra Club and the Audubon Society. Lester will be greatly missed by his family.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

Survivors include his wife, Betty Courter Marsh, of the home; his daughter Loraine Treneff (Craig) ofWesterville,Ohio; his son Dennis Marsh (Christy) ofLenexa,Kan.; his daughter Renee Morel (Jim) of Lawrence; grandchildren Emily, Katharine, Alex, Elizabeth and Catherine; and a brother, Robert Marsh.

Memorial Services will be 2 p.m., Dec. 7, 2012 at Bruce Funeral Home, 712 S Webster, Spring Hill, KS(913)592-2244. Inurnment will be at SpringHillCemeteryat a later date. The family will greet an half an hour before the service at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, the family requests Memorial Contributions to the Alzheimer’s Association. Condolences may be left at www.brucefuneralhome.com.